The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-06
oHOULS OF THE PRESS.
How They Abused tho Father OF His
Country.

Country.
Those who regard President Cleve.
land as the first chief magistrate who
mas been vilifed by the press are ignor-
ant of history, writes Ben: Perley
Poore in The Phiiddelphia Times. The
spirit of defamation began when the
man blamed the woman and the woman
blamed the serpent In all lands the
public and private characters of chief
magistrates have been assaulted, and
no man, living or dead, was ever more
cruelty maligncd or outrageously de-
famed than George Washington. Let
me adduce but fragment or two
from the mass of scurrillity heaped
upon him. He was denounced as "a
traitor" for his proclamation of April,
l793 declaring amty with the bellig-
erent powers of Europe. and warning
citizens of the United States against all
movements inconsistent with neutrality.
For this plain act of duty under his
oath he was held up to public scorn, he
was accused of hostility to France and
secret favor to England; and, as one of
the results of this denunciation, at the
opening OF the third congress in the en-
suing December the administration
candidate for speaker was defeated by
an emphatic majority.
The aurora of that day said: I'll
ever nation was debauched by man
the American nation has been debauch-
cd by Washington. If ever nation
was deceived by man the American ma
ton has been dece we'd by Washington.
Lot his conduct, then, be an example to
future ages. Let it serve as a warning
that no man may become IN idol. Let
the history of the federal government
instruct mankind that the mask of
patr otsm may be worn to conceal the
foulest designs against the liberties of
the people" IL letter to Henry Lee,
under date of July Il, 1898, Washing
ton spoke of the violence with which
his policy had been assailed. But in
what" he says, "will this abuse ter
minated? For tie result, as il respects
myself, ! care not, for have a consola-
| ton within that no earthly efforts can
deprive me of, and that is, that neither
ambition nor interested motives have
influenced my conduct, and tho arrows
of malevolence, therefore, however
barbed and well-ponted. never can
reach the most vulnerable part at me
though, while am up rs mark, they
will be CONTINUALLY aimed. The publ
cations in Freeman's and Buck papers
are outragcs on common decency."
When, on one occasion as Jefferson
tells us, Knox made some allusion to
recent libels uttered by the press
Washington became very much exc ted,
'got into one of those passions when
he can not command himself; dwelt
much on the personal abuse which had
been bestowed upon him; defied any
man on earth to produce one single act
of his since he had been in the govern
ment which had not been done with the
purest motives He had never repent
ed but once the having slipped the
moment of resigning his oilice-and
that was every moment since-and by
God, he had rather be in his grave than
in his present situation. lie had
rather be on his farm than be made
emperor of the world, and yet they
were charging him with wanting to be
king. That rascal Freeman sent him
three OF his papers every day. as If
he would become the distributor of
,hem--an act in which he could see
nothing but an impudent design to in
suit him."
On the second day after Washington,
retirement from the presidential chair
the following appeared in The aurora:
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have
seen Thy salvation" was the pious
ejaculation of man who beheld
flood of happiness rushing in upon
mankind. II ever there was time
which would license the reiteration Of
this exclamation that time has now
arrived for the man who is the source
of all the misfortunes of our country
is this day reduced to the level with
his fellow citizens" Such diatrbes
against the foremost man. OF the nation
show that personal vituperation is not
modern weapon.